Fantasy Basketball League: Dank Tank = Worst Owner in History

The Dank Tank, owned by Gordon Bradbury, may be the worst franchise in history.

Don't let the record make you believe that this team is good. They are not. Although The Dank Tank has struggled with injuries, they have failed to perform up to expectations.

Gordon Bradbury had stated that he would be one of the best teams in the league but has completely neglected his roster.

Gordon may have put his line-up in 1 or 2 times all season.

The Dank Tank franchise is a joke and should never be invited into a fantasy league again. With four weeks to go in the season, Gordon doesn't have the time to devote to putting in his line-up. It's a shame such a quality sports mind has produced such a terrible fantasy team.

NCAA Tournament: Top 10 Potential No. 1 Seeds (2/27/09)

1. North Carolina -- UNC has turned out to be the most dependable team in the NCAAs. Regardless of injuries, the Tar Heels will have to drop their final game at home to Duke and then lose again early in the ACC tourney NOT to be a No. 1 seed lock. If I was filling out a bracket today, I'd pick UNC as my champ.

2. UCONN -- Thabeet is a beast and maybe one of the best shot blockers in NCAA history. His lack of aggression showed when Pitt's DeJuan Blair put 20/20 on him. I can see UCONN cutting down the nets, but I hesitate to really pick them to win it all after they lost Jerome Dyson for the season. UCONN's performance in the Big East tourney will determine if they are the No. 1 overall seed.

3. Pittsburgh -- Pitt has spent time as the No. 1 overall team this season -- a total of three weeks. The Panthers are pretty much a lock for a number one seed. I really think they have a great shot at winning it all with the three studs that make-up their "star"ting lineup. Sam Young leads the team in points per game, DeJuan Blair leads the team in rebounds per game and LeVance Fields leads the team in assists per game.

4. Oklahoma -- Having to play the last two games without potential Player of the Year Blake Griffin will help OK in the long run. But if they continue to struggle with the BG on the bench, it will be hard for the committee to give the Sooners a No. 1 seed.

5. Memphis -- Is it just me, or is everyone waiting for the Tigers to lose? I feel like they don't get any respect because of how badly they destroy their conference. I guess it doesn't really matter to Calapari what anyone thinks of their C-USA run of 55 games... the only thing they want is an NCAA title. They may get a No. 1 seed for the second straight year if all the other powerhouse favorites around them continue to struggle.

6. Louisville -- Depending on how the Cardinals finish in the Big East standings at the end of the regular season will determine whether they get the No. 1 seed. Louisville's inconsistency may hurt them, but if they put together a nice run in the Big East conference tourney -- they'll run into a No. 1 seed.

7. Kansas -- I read somewhere that this Kansas squad is the third youngest team in the history of the NCAA's at an average of .82 years of experience. When I first read that I was like "oh, that's an easy choice for a first round upset"... but after the way the Jayhawks have played, I don't think age will be a factor in the post-season. The Big XII title is up for grabs, if Kansas can take it, they'll also take a top seed in the big dance -- what a quick re-build after winning it all last year and losing a bunch of talent to the pros (Chalmers and Rush are doing well playing for a paycheck).

8. Duke -- It's hard to get an understanding on Duke. They'll play really well for a stretch, then really poorly. The Blue Devils have quality wins against Purdue, Xavier and recently vs Wake Forrest. And really, if you put it in perspective, the only bad losses Duke has are against Michigan and Boston College (both hoping to be tourney bound), the rest have come against top 10 opponents (L @ #6 WF, L @ #10 Clemson, L vs #3 UNC). A good showing in the ACC tourney will give Duke a shot at a No. 1 seed even though they'd be happy getting a No. 2 seed.

9. Michigan State -- The Spartans won't be a No. 1 seed, but they have the best team in the Big Ten. If other teams struggle, Michigan State will benefit. Michigan St. is known for being a tournament team, so don't overlook the Spartans even if they fall to a No. 3 seed. I'd be surprised if MSU doesn't win the Big Ten and the Big Ten tourney and finish with the second best No. 2 seed.

10. Villanova -- The reason I have Villanova ahead of Marquette on my list is because of their head-to-head match-up on Feb. 10th where Villanova won convincingly 102-84. There is really no way that the Wildcats will end up getting a No. 1 seed, or even a No. 2, but mark my words -- they'll be a scary No. 3 seed.



Others fighting for a 2 seed: Marquette, Missouri, Wake Forest, Clemson, Xavier, Washington

Vikings Acquire QB Sage Rosenfels

The Vikings acquired quarterback Sage Rosenfels rom the Texans on Friday and signed him to a two-year, $9 million contract.

Rosenfels’ agent, Rick Smith, said his client “is extremely excited for this opportunity.”

The 31-year-old Rosenfels will compete with Tarvaris Jackson or the starting job.

It’s the second season in a row that the Vikings have tried to trade for Rosenfels. Last year, the two teams could not agree on compensation, so Minnesota brought in veteran Gus Frerotte as a backup. Frerotte has not decided if he will return to the NFL or retire.

It was not immediately clear what the Vikings gave up to land Rosenfels, but the Houston Chronicle previously reported it would be a fourth-round draft pick. This makes it clear that coach Brad Childress is not too confident in Jackson as a legit NFL starter. Jackson was benched after two losses to open last season and Frerotte went 8-3 in his place.

Playing under Gary Kubiak in Houston, Rosenfels ran a West Coast offense similar to the one that Childress employs in Minnesota.

I like Rosenfels, I think that he could work out well for the Vikings. Yet, like Jackson, Rosenfels was up and down last season as well.

He completed 21 of 29 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns in relief of Schaub against the Vikings in November, but he also threw an interception in the end zone in the 28-21 loss. In October, Rosenfels came in for Schaub again and had the Texans up by 17 points in the fourth quarter, but fumbled twice down the stretch as the Colts rallied to win 31-27.

The market for quarterbacks is really thin this offseason, with other options including Jeff Garcia, Dan Orlovsky, Rex Grossman and Ryan Fitzpatrick. If the Vikings couldn't land Kurt Warner, Brett Favre or Michael Vick -- they are better off with Rosenfels over any of the other options.

Considering the Vikings only gave up a 4th round pick to get Rosenfels, they might have found a reliable option who can be consistent -- something the Vikings are desperate for. Only time will tell, but I am optomistic... But I also once said T-Jack would be the man so... yea.

Michael Vick Will Serve Last Two Months At Home

Michael Vick didn't get out on good behavior, he didn't even get out yet -- he has to wait until May... but he will get to leave and spend his final two months "locked up" because there just isn't room for him.

Vick is serving a 23-month prison sentence for participating in the killing of several underperforming fight dogs, among other things related to dog torture and abuse.

Because of a lack of space, Vick will be released to his home in nearby Hampton at some point on or after May 21 where he will finish his time.

The house he'll be chilling in is NOT the infamous BadNewz Kennels headquarters. The house he will be on electronic monitoring for is a modest five-bedroom, 3,538-square-foot brick home assessed at $750,000.

He is eligible for release in July.

It's reported that Vick plans to resume his pro football career. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who suspended Vick without pay, has repeatedly said he will review Vick’s status after the legal proceedings are completed. Some people in the CHEspn inner circle think that Goodell will play the "F-U Dog-hater" card and give him his own NFL-induced post-prison ass-raping consisting of a full season suspension.

The Falcons said earlier this month that they will try to trade the contract rights on Vick to another team -- the Vikings were on a short list of teams who are interested.

Vick was once the highest-paid player in the NFL and was considered one of the most popular. Vick has a contract that runs to 2013 and calls for him to receive a base salary of $9 million and a bonus of $6.43 million in 2009. The remainder of the contract is worth $45.11 million, with an additional possible $3 million in Pro Bowl bonuses.

Vick also earned substantial sums from endorsement deals with Nike and other companies, but those deals vanished after the dogfighting charges. Vick filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July, claiming assets of $16 million and liabilities of $20.4 million.

Most NFL teams have said they are not interested in Vick because they don't want to face the wrath of pet lovers and groups like PETA. Would you want Vick taking snaps for your hometown team?

I mean, the guy brutally killed dogs. He stole your dog from your front yard and then used it as bait. Despicable. Disturbing.

I feel like he has some issues.

Then again, I do want the Vikings to win a Super Bowl...

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Barkley Says He's Not Scared of Banging in The Paint... I mean, Jail.

"I always knew I'd have to do time. It's not something I'm worried about."

Charles Barkley was listed at 6'6" but was probably more like 6'4", he played against guys who were 6'9" and 6'10", so he's not worried about having to protect his "dignity" against the bad boys in the big house. Barkley says "I'm not even thinking about it. When it happens, it happens."

Barkley's promoting a new television series on the Golf Channel called "The Haney Project," in which renowned golf coach Hank Haney tries to help him improve his god-awful swing. Will anyone watch this show? Seriously?

Good luck protecting that "paint", Barkley.

I love Tiger Woods

Tiger is back...

First hole. Birdie.

Second hole. On in two.


This was his first tournament since reconstructive surgery on the knee one week after he won the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in June. Welcome Back, Tiger!

A Glimpse at Barkley's Criminal History

"I don't create controversies. They're there long before I open my mouth. I just bring them to your attention," Barkley once stated.

Long before TNT, long before the Rockets or Suns, Barkley's time in Philly brought headlines and headaches. There was the infamous spitting incident where during a game against the New Jersey Nets Barkley's loogie, aimed at a heckler, landed on a young girl.

Throughout his career, Barkley argued that athletes should NOT be considered role models. He stated, "A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be role models?" In 1993, his argument prompted national news when he wrote the text for his "I am not a role model" Nike commercial.

He argued, "I think the media demands that athletes be role models because there's some jealousy involved. It's as if they say, this is a young black kid playing a game for a living and making all this money, so we're going to make it tough on him. And what they're really doing is telling kids to look up to someone they can't become, because not many people can be like we are. Kids can't be like Michael Jordan."

Although it ain't a crime to gamble... Barkley might need to be locked up for it.

Once Barkley revealed that he lost $10 million through gambling. In addition, he also admitted to losing $2.5 million, "in a six-hour period," while playing blackjack. Although Barkley openly admits to his problem, he claims it is not serious since he can afford to support the habit.

Barkley stated, "It's not a problem. If you're a drug addict or an alcoholic, those are problems. I gamble for too much money. As long as I can continue to do it I don't think it's a problem. Do I think it's a bad habit? Yes, I think it's a bad habit. Am I going to continue to do it? Yes, I'm going to continue to do it."

In May 2008, the Wynn Las Vegas casino filed a civil complaint against Barkley, alleging that he had failed to pay a $400,000 debt. Barkley responded by taking blame and paid it back right away.

The most recent incident with Barkley is pathetic.

On New Year's Eve, Barkley was stopped for running a stop sign and picking up a female on the side of the street. He told the officer that the reason he ran the stop sign was because he was in a hurry to get oral sex.

Officers statement:

“He told me that he ran the stop sign because he was in a hurry to pick up the girl I saw get in the passenger seat... He asked me to admit that she was ‘hot.’ He asked me, ‘You want the truth?’ When I told him I did he said, ‘I was gonna drive around the corner and get a b**w job. He then explained that she had given him a ‘blow job’ one week earlier and said it was the best one he had ever had in his life.”

Barkley statement to an officer while being booked at the police station:

“I’ll tattoo my name on your ass” if he helped “get him out of the DUI.” According to the report, “He laughed and then quickly corrected himself and said, ‘I’ll tattoo your name on my ass’ and then laughed again.”

Charles has been married for 20 years and also has a daughter.

What's next? Well, keep your eyes posted here, I'm going to have a "SIR CHARLES" watch 24/7 from now until he's released. CHEspn.com will have everything you need to know about Charles and his time in Tent City. Hopefully I'll be able to report everything from Who Charles' is roomates are, what they are cooking for dinner, where he went in the prison league draft and if he gets shanked. Stay tuned.

Charles Barkley to serve jail time - CHEspn To Follow Every Minute

Charles Barkley will be serving his 5 days in jail for DUI in a TENT. Tent City means Sir Charles will be wearing the infamous pink long johns -- and this means CHEspn will be all over every update.

Sir Charles is heading to jail after pleading guilty to two drunken driving charges. Barkley's BAC of .149 was just 0.001 away from meeting the minimum requirement for an "extreme" DUI, which would have resulted in a minimum of 30 days in the a REAL LIVE prison...

Funny how the BAC was conveniently under the extreme limit. And as for the LOADED gun cops say they found in Barkley's car on the night of the arrest -- no charges were ever filed -- another "wonder" in this case.

Sir Charles also pleaded "responsible" to running a stop sign before his December 31 arrest in Arizona. Barkley has been given work release -- meaning he only has to be in tent city from 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM.

Barkley will serve his sentence starting on March 21st -- I will be all over it during those five days.

Barkley: I have to use better judgment (NBA.com)

"NBA on TNT" analyst Charles Barkley, on leave since January after a DUI arrest in Arizona, will return to the air Thursday night. Turner Sports said Tuesday that Barkley would be in the studio for "Inside the NBA," which features Barkley as well as host Ernie Johnson and analyst Kenny Smith.

Johnson spoke with Barkley on Wednesday about his return to TNT.

Opening Statement from Charles Barkley

Want to start with an apology and a thank you. My bad, my fault.

Getting a DUI is unacceptable in any way, shape or form. I owe an apology to my family, to TNT, to T-Mobile and to my NBA family. I embarrassed all of the above.

Also, I want to say thank you. I've gotten so much support. I've had hundreds of people, total strangers, who have told me to hang in there. You have no idea what that means to me. That means so much to me.

I also want to personally thank some people who took the time to check on me: Adam Silver with the NBA, David Levy, Dick Ebersol, Jeff Behnke, Larry Bird, Quinn Buckner, Mike Pearl, Moses Malone, Billy Cunningham, Herb Sendek, Ric Bucher, Ernie Johnson, Joey Crawford and Red McCombs. If I forget anybody, I apologize. You have no idea what it meant to me for people like that to take time out of their schedule to check on me. I will never forget that.

Ernie Johnson: Where do things stand legally with you right now?

Charles Barkley: My lawyers are currently working on it right now and really can't get into too much detail.

EJ: Will it go to trial?

CB: No, I don't believe it will go to trial.

EJ: What have they told you about going to jail?

CB: I may be looking at potentially some jail time but don't know anything yet.

EJ: Will you have to go out and do anything else?

CB: I will have to go to alcohol counseling.

EJ: Is that something that you need?

CB: Well, I think it's going to be good for me, to be honest. I need to make sure drinking is not a problem for me. I just want some professionals to talk to me about it.

EJ: What if the professionals tell you stop drinking?

CB: Then I'll have to stop drinking.

EJ: Do you think you'll be able to do that?

CB: I feel I can do anything that I put my mind to.

EJ: What was the first thing that went through your mind when you saw the lights behind you when you were pulled over?

CB: I really wasn't thinking anything, to be honest with you. Until they tell you that you're going to jail, you don't even think like that. You don't think anything bad is going to happen. So I was in shock actually.

EJ: Did you think you were over the limit before they took blood?

CB: No and I thought I did well on the sobriety test. But clearly not good enough.

EJ: When you look back at it now and see that you were almost two times over the legal limit and you got behind the wheel, what do you think?

CB: This is just my bad, no excuses, it was unacceptable. I think that a DUI is unacceptable. That can't happen and I've got to challenge other people, not just celebrities or jocks. You have to really think before getting behind the wheel after you've been drinking. We've discussed this many times on [Inside the NBA] when other [players] have gotten DUIs. I challenge everybody to really think hard before they get behind the wheel after drinking. Nobody thinks they're drunk driving. But for me, getting a DUI is unacceptable.

EJ: I recall one night last season, when you were made aware of a picture on the internet of your daughter at a party and you were really concerned about that. In the wake of [the DUI], you're all over the Internet.

CB: I think every person who is in the limelight has to be extraordinarily careful in public. With video cameras, camera phones and the Internet, it's become "gotcha" journalism. Most of the time that I'm on the Internet, I'm not doing anything. Clearly people are standing away from me and taking pictures. You really have to be careful in public right now.

EJ: How embarrassing is it for you and your family right now?

CB: It's really, really embarrassing for myself and my family. Also, I embarrassed TNT, I embarrassed T-Mobile and I embarrassed my NBA family. It's not just about me. I embarrassed a lot of people in this situation.

EJ: How did you explain this to your daughter?

CB: I told her that I really, really screwed up and that's all you can say. You can't make excuses. This was 100 percent my fault and it's unacceptable, that's all I told her.

EJ: How did this affect your marriage?

CB: I never discuss my personal life with the public. They don't have the right to know that.

EJ: Have you been back to Alabama?

CB: Yes. My grandmother is the greatest influence in my life. She calls me every day and tells me, "you made a mistake" and "get on with your life. You weren't the first and you won't be the last." She tells me that every single day.

EJ: What's the best piece of advice you've gotten throughout the course of this?

CB: First, I can't put myself in any situation like this again. I have to use better judgment and not put myself in situations like this. I have to get my friends, keep them around me and be careful of every single person in my life. As I said earlier, we live in the era of "gotcha" journalism and I have to be extraordinarily careful anytime I'm out in public.

EJ: How have you spent your days during your leave of absence?

CB: I've expressed a lot of different things. I've been mad, I've been happy, I've been pissed off. Just thinking about how I can't believe I put myself in this situation. It's been frustrating not working, to be honest with you. Just thinking about it, I never realized how many people that I affected. I'm not just saying that because I let you and Kenny [Smith] down and everyone that works on the show. I let TNT down, I let T-Mobile down.

My family understands all the good and bad that goes with being famous. My family understands that. I've been in this since 1984. There are a lot more good things than bad things. Once you are in the limelight, it's difficult. Every mistake you make is going to be magnified. For me, the worst part of this situation is I can't believe I let TNT, T-Mobile and the NBA down. I embarrassed the NBA in this situation. Realistically, that's the thing that disappointed me the most. I can't believe I let those three organizations down.

EJ: Given your platform and where you stand and the influence you can have, are you going to take this message to kids, groups where you would speak?

CB: My message to whoever I speak to is that you have to really think before getting behind the wheel when you drink and drive. I'm going to challenge all individuals when I get back on the air, or when I do future interviews, to really think hard before getting behind the wheel of a car when you've been drinking.

EJ: How does this change your day-to-day life?

CB: I am certainly going to use better judgment. I'm not going to drive a car after I've been drinking. I'm going to get a driver anytime I go out in public. And I'm going to challenge all NBA players and hopefully all jocks across the board. When we go out, we really have to think before getting behind the wheel.

EJ: What was it like to see All-Star Weekend in your city [Phoenix] and not be a part of it?

CB: It was difficult and frustrating. I clearly understand [NBA All-Star] is the signature event for TNT. With it being in Phoenix, I just let TNT down. I wasn't worried about where the event was, I think it was great for Phoenix. But it hit home for me that I had let TNT down. Missing some [regular season] games has been frustrating and watching you guys. But that was the first time that I really realized that I screwed over TNT. If you miss me one day a week, it's frustrating. But to miss me four days in a row, that was when it hit the worst that I had let TNT down.

EJ: I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night.

CB: Same here. This is just my bad, no excuses, it was unacceptable. I let so many people down. It just sucks watching the shows and not being there. I screwed this up.

MY PREDICTION: No. 3 North Carolina vs No. 6 Duke

Whenever Duke (20-3, 7-2 ACC) or North Carolina (21-2, 7-2) make the 8-mile trip down Tobacco Road there is always a battle. Just check out their past 10 match-ups:

Their 10 most recent games

March 6, 2008: UNC 76, Duke 68*
Feb. 6, 2008: Duke 89, UNC 78
March 4, 2007: UNC 86, Duke 72
Feb. 7, 2007: UNC 79, Duke 73
March 4, 2006: UNC 83, Duke 76
Feb. 7, 2006: Duke 87, UNC 83
March 6, 2005: UNC 75, Duke 73
Feb. 9, 2005: Duke 71, UNC 70
March 6, 2004: Duke 70, UNC 65
Feb. 5, 2004: Duke 83, UNC 81

Wins: Duke 5, UNC 5

Average victory margin: 6 points

Average score: UNC 77.6, Duke 76.2

Tonight shouldn't be any different.

The winner of this evening's classic will take sole possession of first place in the ACC, would move into position to claim the top seed in next month's ACC tournament and most importantly makes a strong case for a No. 1 seed.

Not like there needed to be any more added drama to the match-up, but Tyler Hansbrough is also trying to beat Duke for the fourth straight time on Coach K court.

With a win tonight, Hansbrough and Danny Green would become the first North Carolina players to beat Coach K four straight times at Duke. Since Mike Krzyzewski took over the Duke program in 1980, only two visitors have gone 4/4: Tim Duncan and Rusty LaRue.

Will 'Psycho T' suffer his first defeat in front of the Cameron Crazies??? You better believe it.

MY PREDICTION:
DUKE - 74
UNC - 70

Why I have Duke winning tonight's game I will explain shortly. But don't worry about the loser in this match-up. In both of the schools' most recent national championships (North Carolina in 1993 and 2005, and Duke in 1992 and 2001), it was the loser of the mid-season meeting who rebounded to make title runs.

People have been saying that Duke is too slow to match-up with speedy North Carolina, but I don't think speed will factor into the outcome like it did when the Blue Devils fell to the Clemson or fell behind to Miami. The ball-handlers will play a huge factor in the tempo of the game and overall, the outcome. If Duke's guards step up and control the ball well (don't turn it over), they'll give UNC a good fight. And whether you agree with me or not, I'll take the Devils offense over the Heels defense.

The Hansbrough-led North Carolina offense is tops in the ACC in scoring (92.3 ppg). But lucky for Duke, the Blue Devils have allowed an ACC-low 61 points a game (though they have allowed an average of 75 in their three losses).

Another big reason why I like Duke is because I like the chance of them carrying over how they played in the second half Saturday against Miami, when Duke rallied down 16 to win in OT. Like I said from the beginning of the season, I like Duke because of the TEAM concept -- something Coach K has been calling "collectiveness".

In order for Duke to "upset" UNC, they need their best from their best: Gerald Henderson, Kyle Singler and Greg Paulus.

Henderson is by far Duke's best player, he has led Duke in scoring eight of the past nine games -- and tonight Henderson will be matched against Wayne Ellington, his former high-school teammate, which should be interesting. Although Singler leads the team in ppg, he was a putrid 1/9 in the first half against Miami and finished 5/23. Singler must be hot from deep as well, he is just 2 for 13 from 3-point range in his last three games. Paulus moved into the starting lineup against Miami and scored a season-high 18 points. If UNC doesn't respect Paulus' three-point ability, he could cause them some trouble (Paulus hit 10 3-pointers in the two games against UNC last season).

Vegas has the Tar Heels as a two point favorite. Accuscore thinks UNC will win 81-78. I have a gut feeling we'll see the underdog win tonight.

Game Time: 9:00pm ET, ESPN

NCAA Basketball: My Feelings So Far...

I'm imagining a month from now: March 10th.

When trying to dominate your office-pool bracket, gather your thoughts during the February Madness. In the past I have won a bracket-pool or two. Every year I try to win, I want to win (that's the goal right?). I try to gather as much information as possible and with more and more available for everyone to soak-up, I feel like you need to start your "soaking" ASAP or at least by mid-February.

I've been playing the: "Who's Your Final Four" game with my brother for a few years now. Every once and a while (usually monthly) we give each other the four teams we think will represent the Final Four. My pre-season Final Four (had to go back to Andy's wall on Facebook to get it) was: UNC, Louisville, Texas and Duke. (Andy's was: UCONN, OU, NC, TENN. Not bad first impression picks.)

This is what I said at the time:

"Louisville will be this year's Memphis. They will have a ridiculous record like 32-2 or something, will be ranked No. 1 when UNC loses once (to Duke) and they'll have Pitno on every cover. But come tourney time, the Cardinals will choke. I love AJ Abrams, James -- Texas looks amazing. The Longhorns could represent the one and only team where TEAM is the concept and not PLAYER. UNC is unstoppable, no one has a chance. If they don't win it all it will be a joke. And Duke is due, they have a mix of what Louisville has with coach K and they have what Texas has with a TEAM. This is one of the deepest season's I can remember. A case could be made for nearly every top 25 team right now."

Very interesting and 'funny-to-look-at-now' analysis. Those picks were made in November and, of course, a lot has changed since then... UNC suffered some injuries and may not be as invincible as people suspected. Louisville struggled early in what was supposed to be a easy non-conference schedule. Texas has put out the "Leadership Wanted" sign in the window, Duke looks incredible one night then chokes another -- not sure about these picks anymore. Andy's choice of UCONN and OU could replace my picks of Texas and Louisville.

If I'm playing the game today, I'd only keep Duke as a Final Four team. I would be dumb not to put UCONN as my 'today's champion' and Blake Griffin should alone take the Sooners to the Final Four. So, let's see, that's Duke, UCONN and Oklahoma. Last, and maybe least, will be Xavier.

Yea, I know, they lost Saturday to Duk-ane (Duquesne -- X barely lost, only by 4), so taking Xavier may not look so smart right now, but that loss should be the last of the season. With only one real tough test left (Feb. 26 at St. Joe's) the Musketeers shouldn't have any more slip-ups before the A-10 Tourney.

Currently ranked No. 14 in the country with a 20-3 record, you might be thinking why Xavier? Well, to be perfectly honest, gambling on Xavier wouldn't make for the best bet. Going with UNC, Lousiville, Pitt, Memphis, UCLA or hell even Gonzaga might give you the best "odds", but how often are the odds makers correct?

The two-time defending Atlantic 10 champions returned five players on their Elite Eight team last season and have surrounded those five players with youth, upside.

Xavier has a well-rounded team (six guys average more than 20 minutes, three players score more than 10 ppg). Led by the teams oldest players B.J. Raymond and C.J. Anderson -- these guys are surrounded by young and talented TEAM players. Derrick Brown is arguably the Musketeers best player and Jason Love battles on the block better than anyone in the A-10. Did I mention that they were not only talented, but young and talented? To quote AP write Joe Kay:

"Seven-footer Kenny Frease is learning how to score inside. Point guard Terrell Holloway is getting better at making the precise pass. Shooting guard Brad Redford is confidently letting it fly from long range. Little by little, Xavier's three Froshketeers are growing up."

But what I like best about Xavier is Head Coach Sean Miller. Not to waste anybody's time, but if you don't know who he is and why he'd be a factor in bringing Xavier to the Final Four, take a look at what I took directly off the athletic department website:

"Miller has raised his career record to 93-39 (.705) in four years at the helm, including 30-7 this past season and a trip to the NCAA Tournament "Elite Eight." The 30 wins broke the school record of 28 set in the 1989-90 season. Miller was named the 2007-08 Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year after leading Xavier to a 14-2 record and a second straight A-10 regular season title. The National Association of Basketball Coaches named Miller as its 2008 NABC District 10 Coach of the Year. He was a finalist for numerous National Coach of the Year awards.

Miller, the 16th head coach in Xavier history, has won 93 games and stands in fifth place for wins in school history. He is alone in first place all-time in XU history for most wins in the first four seasons as head coach.

Miller, who secured his third straight 20-win season, made his third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Miller has won back-to-back Atlantic 10 Conference Regular Season Championships (2007 and 2008) and an A-10 Tournament Championship (2006)."

Coach Miller has had six NCAA Tournament bids in his first seven years at Xavier, all of which seem to get better each time. With an appearance in the Elite Eight in 2008, Miller and the Musketeers have their eyes set on the Final Four.

Other teams that I have on my "sleeper" radar, or teams looking to make upsets include:

LSU Tigers -- LSU's last loss was to Xavier (of all teams), overall the program is headed back in the right direction. Right now they lead the SEC with a 7-1 conference record. Marcus Thornton and Tasmin Mitchell are the main ballers, Chris Johnson is all over the glass grabbing a team high 7.9 rbg.

Villanova Wildcats -- About a month ago Villanova took a tough loss to UCONN, but has played on a tear since building a win streak that has included wins against then No. 3 PITT and a take down of No. 20 Syracuse on Saturday. Playing in the most difficult conference in the NCAA's may seem like a hindrance for the Wildcats, but it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise come mid-March when they are known to be "battle-tested". Dante Cunningham is making NBA scouts look twice.

Dayton Flyers -- Dayton is still battling for respect in the NCAA's. Dayton may make a deep run thanks to nightly contributions from 14 roster players. The Flyers have a match-up against conference foe Xavier tomorrow night, which should be a doozy.

Northern Iowa Panthers -- NIU is killing the MVC, which is a conference that has been consistently owned by Creighton or SIU. And even though NIU lost to Creighton Sunday, the Panthers seem to have a lock on the conference and therefore the automatic NCAA tourney bid. With five guys nearly averaging double-digits in scoring per night, depth (everyone on this team averages at least 1.1 ppg) and pride should carry this team far.

North Dakota State Bison -- Just like NIU, the NDSU Bison are destroying the competition in the Summit division. Get ready to start hearing about BW's: Ben Woodside and Brett Winkelman.

Utah State Aggies -- The WAC's version of NIU and NDSU is Utah State. You can also credit depth as a reason why the Aggies are cleaning up in the WAC (11-0). Utah State boasts four players averaging double-digits in scoring and gets help from everyone on the roster.


Selection Sunday: March 15

PROTRADE: $an Antonio $purs $tock $hould be $100 Higher...

I bought the Spurs stock on January 15th, the day the after they beat the Lakers by one point. Since then they have won 9/12 and have seen their only Western Conference competition (LA) lose it's big man (Bynum) for 8-12 weeks. But to my dismay, since Jan. 15th, the Spurs stock has only risen 6%...

Even after beating Boston on Sunday, the stock really hasn't budged. I figured it was time for the PROTRADE community to jump on the good old Spurs bandwagon...

I'm writing this post as a reminder of what the Spurs are capable of... Sure, I did once say "MARK MY WORDS - THE SPURS AREN'T DONE" last post-season and was completely wrong (they lost to LA and were eliminated from the post-season only hours after the post). But I still believe this team can win an NBA title.

And with an NBA title comes another $100 to their price-tag.

It would be a decent decision to purchase some of the Roger Mason Jr. stock, who has been averaging 11 ppg and more minutes and Ginobili or invest in some Tim Duncan... or maybe Mike Finley is deserving of an IPO and an initial offering purchase. But the most lucrative buy would be in the TEAM stock (currently priced at $148 and 55 wins and an NBA title would put them at Celtics or Lakers money).

Obviously this is for long-term investors, so STFU day-trading stock jumpers... I'm not going to underestimate the Spurs. I suggest buying some of the team stock, before everyone else.